Suction cleaner



June 27, 1944. H. B. WHITE SUCTION CLEANE-R Filed Au 11, 1959 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Harry B. While ATTORNEY June 27, 1944. rs, w rr 2,352,504

SUCTION CLEANER Filed Aug. 11, 1939 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR llaryfl. Wile BY w ATTORNEY June 27, 1944.

H. B. WHITE SUCTION CLEANER 3 Sheets-Shet 3 Filed Aug. 11, 1939 INVENTOR ATTORN EY Patented June 27,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SUCTION CLEAN EB Harry B. White, North Canton, Ohio, assiznor to The Hoover Company, North Canton, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application August 11, 1939, Serial No. 289,565

3 Claims. (Cl. 183-36) The present invention relates to suction cleaners in general and particularly to a new and novel sound-deadening and sound-absorbing construction in a suction cleaner. More specifically the invention comprises a new and improved bag and muiller unit in a suction cleaner in which the dirt-filtering bag is mounted upon a flexibly mounted cleaner muiller by manually operable means, the bag and muiller being enclosed within an outer appearance bag supported at its upper end from the cleaner handle.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved suction cleaner. It is another object of the invention to provide new' and improved sound-absorbing means in a suction cleaner. Another object of the invention is to provide a new and improved bag and mufller unit in a suction cleaner. A still further object of the invention is to provide a bag and muflier unit in a suction cleaner in which the dirt-filtering bag and the muifler are enclosed within an outer appearance bag supported at its upper end from the cleaner handle. the invention is to provide a bag and muiiler unit in which the dirt-filtering bag is detachably secured to the inner end of the muilier by manually operable means. A still further object of the invention is to provide a pivoted muffler which is provided with gravity-compensating spring means to insure ease of pivotal movement. A further object of the invention is to provide a bag and muiiler unit in the suction cleaner in which the dirt-filtering bag is connected to the exhaust outlet of the suction cleaner by the pivotally mounted muflier and is enclosed within an outer appearance bag supported at its upper end from the cleaner handle andprovlded in its side with a manually operable closure construction to per- Referring now to the drawings in which preferred embodiments of the present invention are disclosed:

Figure 1 is a side elevation of a modern suction cleaner embodying the present invention with certain parts broken away and shown in section;

Figure 2 is an enlarged view in perspective of the bag and mufller unit with the bags removed;

Figure 3 is an enlarged longitudinal section through the bag and mufller construction at the lower end thereof;

Still another object of mit of ready access to the dirt-filtering bag and muffler. A still further object of the invention is to provide in a suction cleaner 9. pivoted muffier which is adapted to seat detachably a paper filter bag which is enclosed within an outer appearence bag. A still further object of the invention is to provide a suction cleaner in which the sound-absorbing muifler is movably connected to the cleaner body and seats a bag ring adapted to mount an inner cloth bag within an outer appearance bag which is connected at its lower end to the cleaner body and at its upper end to the cleaner handle. These and other more specific objects will appear upon reading the following specification and claims and upon considering in connection therewith the attached drawings to which they relate.

- Figure 4 is an exploded view of the upper end of the bags and illustrates the means by which the outer bag is supported from the'cleaner handle;

Figure 5 is a partial transverse section through the outer bag hanger in the assembled relation- Figure 6 is a view similar to Figure 3 and illustrates the mounting oi an inner cloth bag upon the muiller by means of a converter ring;

Figure 7 is a view of the cloth bag ring in the opened position for bag cleaning;

Figure 8 is, an. upper view of the cloth bag construction and illustrates the support in the inner cloth bag from the handle.

The modem suction cleaner is an eflicient machine. It is also characterized by noise in operation which is not desirable. To eliminate that noise, which is largely transmitted to the ear of the user by means of sound vibrations emitted from the cleaner in the dirt-laden air stream, means are employed which absorb those vibrations from theair stream before it reaches atmosphere. The present invention provides a new and improved bag and mufller unit for a suction cleaner; 9. unit in which thedlrt-filtering bag is removably secured to the mufller unit, the bag and muffler being enclosed within an outer appearance bag.

Referring again to the drawings in which pre- 'ferred embodiments of the invention are disclosed, there is seen to be illustrated in Figure 1 a modern suction cleaner which includes a nozzle I which is interiorly connected through an air passageway 2 to a fan chamber 3 which houses a vided with an exhaust outlet II which is formed at its outer end with an enlarged flange l2 carrying rearwardly projecting manually operable bag-securing means ll adapted to clamp the mounting element of the attached bag construction in the usual cleaner. The cleaner body is movably supported upon wheels I4 and there is provided, as in the usual cleaner, a pivoted handle II by which the operator can exert the usual propelling and guiding forces.

To the exhaust outlet of the fan chamber, and more specifically to the flange I2 thereof, is secured the bag and muilier construction comprising the present invention. That construction, in the first embodiment illustrated in Figures l to 5, inclusive, is seen to include a bagconnection flange 20 which is formed with a central conduit portion 2| of substantially the same cross sectional area as the exhaust passageway, ll of the fan chamber and aligned therewith. Around its periphery, bag-connection flange 20 is provided with a sealing gasket 22 which is adapted to abut the adjacent exhaust flange l2 to make an air-tight seal therewith and to prevent the escape of dirt-laden air at the connection. Ears 23 extend from the opposite sides of the bag-connection flange 20 and are adapted to cooperate with the securing means l3 carried by the outlet flange H to secure the connection flange to the cleaner. The means l3 are ordinarily and preferably manually rotatable screw means which are adapted to be tightened to exert a clamping action upon the flange 20 through the cars 23, the air-sealing gasket 22 being compressed into air-tight and sealing relationship with the adjacent face of the exhaust flange l2. Upon its outer surface the bag-connection flange III is formed with a rim 25 which seats an outer appearance bag 26 which is secured thereon by an enclosing clamping ring 21. Bag 26 is supported at its upper end from the upper end of the handle by means of a coil spring 29 which seats in a hook 3| formed in a rigid channel member 30 in the upper end of the bag. An overlying clamping plate 32 overlies the bag and channel 30 and is provided with a slot 33 which straddles the hook 3|. The assembly is completed and secured when the end of the spring 29 is passed through the hook 3|. A zipper closure element 35 is provided which is adapted to open the entire length of the bag 26 on its underside, as illustrated in Figures 3 and 4, and provides means by the use of which entrance can be gained readily to the interior of the appearance bag.

. Within the outer appearance bag 26 and pivotally connected to the bag connection flange 20 is a sound-absorbing muifler comprising an elongated, cylindrical tubular element 38 of sound-absorbing material such as rubber, fiber,

" contact at one end with the head 4| of the murder body and at its opposite end with the bag-- connection flange 20, is a coil spring 44 which exerts a lifting iorce upon the head 4| to counteract the eflect of gravity upon the muiiler and the construction carried thereby to insure ease of pivotal movement. A reinforcing flap 45 is present in the bag to prevent wear by the contact of the bag with the head 4| of the mufiler body.

The interior of the sound-absorbing tube 28 is connected to the conduit 2| of bag-connection flange 20 by means of a flexible, corrugated, bellows-like tube 48 of rubber or similar mate rial which is secured at its cleaner end to the conduit 2| by an enclosing clamping ring 49, and at its opposite end to the mufiler body 4| by means of a clamping metal sleeve 50. The bellows 48 is so constructed that it offers a minimum of resistanceto the pivotal movement of the muffler about the pivotal axis 42 which is positioned thereabove, it being noted that the folds of the corrugations have a wider extent at the bottom of the bellows than at the top thereof to accommodate more readily the greater movement at the lower side which will necessarily occur in pivotal movement.

Seated upon the enclosing metallic body of the muilier is a dirt-filtering bag 52 formed with a reduced neck portion 53 including an extended valve or trap 54. The bag neck 52 extends down over the rigid muflier body and into abutting relationship with the head 4| thereof. The valve or trap 54 closely encloses the entire length of the muifler and prevents the collection of foreign material upon the muffler. The bag is retained in place by a suitable bag-clamping means seen to comprise outwardly movable ring sections 56 which encircle body section 40 and are themselves enclosed by a rubber sleeve 51 and which, with the expansible rings 58 in their innermost position and lying adjacent the body 40 of the muffler, has a circumference substantially equal to the outer cylindrical body portion 39. A manually pivotable lever arm 58 is carried by the murder head 4| and is adapted to exert a pivoting force upon the clamping lever arms 55 to urge them radially outward relative to the cylindrical body of the muilier to expand, through the expansion rings 56, the enclosing rubber sleeve 51 and to clamp interiorly the neck 53 of the bag. When so positioned, as illustrated in Figure 3, the force exerted through the rubber sleeve 51 on the interior of the bag neck 53 is such as to prevent displacement of the filter bag without tearing. This bag-clamping construction is identical to that disclosed and claimed in Patent 2,250,285.

The upper end of the inner filter bag 52, as illustrated in Figure 4, is adapted to be closed by a U-shaped channel member 59 in a common and well known manner, the bag being unattached to the outer appearance bag and, the inner bag resting therein.

To protect the outer appearance bag 26 from injury in the pivotal movement by repeated contacts with the muiller, and also to act as a buffer to prevent injury to the muiiier from contact with articles of furniture, etc., there is provided on the underside of the muilier head 4|, which is narrowed at that point, an arcuate rubber bumper 80.

The operation or this embodiment of the invention is readily understood. The rotation of the cleaner driving motor causes the suctioncreating fan 4 to draw cleaning air through the nozzle I, through the fan chamber, and to force it. by way of the exhaust outlet l i, into the bag and muiller unit. The exhausted air carries foreign material such as dirt, strings, etc.', which has been removed from the surface covering undergoing cleaning by the air and by the rotating agitator 3 within the nozzle I. The air upon being exhausted from the outlet ll carries not only pearance bag and clamped in place in its seated relationship to the m'uiller.

Referring now to the modification, illustrated in Figures 6 to 8, inclusive, the construction is .identical with that first described with the exception that the paper bag 52, the neck 53 of which a 'seated directly upon the outer metallic cylindrical this foreign material but also vibrations which' have been imparted to it by the agitator-effected impulses oi the surface covering and byvthe fan. Upon leaving the exhaust outlet II the air passes through the conduit 2| of the bag connection flange 20, through thebellows-like conduit 48 of the pivotal mounting connection, and then through the sound-absorbing cylindrical tubular body 330! the muflier finally to be exhausted into the filter bag 52v which is preferably of paper of a the type characterized by having a low back presforth over the surface coveringthe flow of clean- 1X13 air continues and this back and forth movement of the machine is accomplished by the pivotal movement of the handle through which the propelling force is exerted. As the upper end of the appearance bag is carried by the handle, and as the handle changes its angular position, it is clear that the outer bag connected at its top to the handle will be raised and lowered and flexed relative to the cleaner body. As the mufller construction and the inner filter bag extend into the outer appearance bag, the two bags being in contact as shown in Figur 3, they too will be moved relative to the body of the machine. This movement will take the form of'pivotal movement of the rigid body oil the mufiler about its pivotal axis 42 and will be accompanied by the expansion and contraction of the bellows-like conduit 48. The muiller having its weight counterbalanced by the upwardly directed force of coil spring Mv at the pivotal axis, will be relatively free to move with the outer appearance bag.

After being used for a considerable period of time, it will be desirable to remove and replace the inner filter bag 52 or to clean it. This operation is accomplished by the operator in a simple manner. It is only necessary to open the zippered closure of the bag at 35 to the bottom of the bag. An opening will be provided into the interior of the outer bag which is the full length thereof.

body of the muiller, has been removed and in its place has been substituted a bag of material such as cloth which the operator will not wish to dis'card when dirty but which he will wish to use {repeatedly in view of its relatively great cost. In

such a bag, because of the apparent desirability of cleaning when dirty, the mouth has been made larger andinstead of seating directly upon the bag clamping means of the muiller construction, there has been provided an adapter which is formed o! a central cylindrical ring 52 including an end plate 63. The ring portion 52 seats directly upon themuiiler cylindrical body and is clamped in place by the mechanism which secured the paper bag in the first embodiment.

Plvoted to the plate 63 at one side upon a pin 54 is the bag ring 85 to which the mouth of the bag Si is secured by the spring clamp ring. 66. In position upon the cleaner the ring 65 encloses the cylindrical portion 62 of the adapter and is secured in place in contact therewith by means The operator then manually pivots the bag-.

clamping lever 58 which causes the ring sections 55 to contract thereby permitting the inner end of the bag to be displaced from the outer end or the mufller body. The inner bag is then taken out through the opening of the outer appearance bag. The operator can dispose of the removed bag arid replace it by a new one or, it he chooses, can clean the bag. This latter operation is accomplished either by shaking the bag to displace the foreign material through the neck 53 thereof, or more advantageously, by removingthe clamping channel member 58 at the end thereof to. open the outer end of the bag. The shaking of the bag causes the foreign material to drop therefrom and after it has been suflloiently cleaned the closure 59 would be replaced, as illustrated in Figure 4,

and the bag would be reinserted in the outer apof a spring lock 81 which encloses the side thereof opposite the pivotal axis ill. A ring gasket 68 of rubber or similar material is carried by the plate 63 so as to be contacted by the ring 65 when the latter is'pivoted into contact therewith to provide an air-tight joint. Similarly there is provided a second ring seal 59 upon the oppositeside or the plate 63 which is adapted to contact the head ll of the muiller construction to effect anairtight joint. In Figure 7, the mounting construction for the cloth bag is shown removed from the cleaner and in the open relationship adapted for cleaning. The bag ring has been pivoted from its seat so that the operator can shake the bag to cause the foreign material to fall through the opening in the ring 65 which is noted to be considerablylarger in diameter than the opening of the seat 52.

In this embodiment of the invention the upper end of the cloth bag is provided with its channel closure member 10 formed with a hook H which is 35. In all other details this embodiment of the invention is similar to that first described.

I claim:

l. A muiller and bag unit for a suction cleaner comprising a connector adapted to be connected to the exhaust outlet of a suction cleaner, a muffler including a rigid-body and noise-reducing means pivotally connected to said connector by means including an expansible air-conducting bellows, bag-seatin and-clamping means on the rigid body of said muiller movable therewith and adapted to clamp the enclosing mouth of a dirtfiltering bag thereon, a filter bag positioned at the end of said muilier with its mouth seated on said muiller and clamped thereto, spring means between said connector and said mumer exerting a lifting force on the latter to counterbalance at least in part the force of gravity acting thereon and on the parts supported thereby and an enclosing supporting bag with its mouth seated on said connector and enclosing said bellows, said muiller, and said filter bag, and aiding in the positioning 3. In a suction cleaner, suction-creating means including an exhaust outlet. a muiiier including sound-absorbing means movably mounted on said outlet and extended thereirorn, a dust bag removably seated on the cleaner end 01' said muiiier, and means to prevent the accumulation of foreign material on said muiiler and at the con nection of said dust bag thereto in order that said muflier will-not be exposed in a dirty condition with said bag removed, said means comprising an elongated sleeve closely enclosing said muiiier and carried by said has.

HARRY B. WHITE. 

